Anonymous hacks Apple, Australia election database and others

HACKTIVIST GROUP Anonymous hacked more web sites over the weekend, including one at Apple, a dating web site and a database of Australia's 2011 elections.

Anonymous has been busy with its Operation Anti-Security, or Antisec, and another big name has joined the list of those it has hit with hacks. The latest is Apple, with its 'users' SQL database uploaded for all and sundry to see. The database contains 27 entries of user names and passwords, including 'admin', although the passwords appear to be encrypted.

The information appears to be from a relatively minor part of Apple's web site, but it's a wakeup call for the fruit themed company that it cannot rest on its laurels when it comes to security.

Anonymous also hacked the pepper.nl dating web site, leaking 53,648 usernames, email addresses and encrypted passwords, including the 'admin' account. The group claimed it has "been sitting on pepper.nl database for a while" and that if it has it, "someone worse has, too".

The Pepper web site reassured its customers that the information published is "unusable", but it urged them to change their passwords anyway. It said that it was in contact with the police over the incident.

Speaking of police, the Antisec crew hacked more Arizona police web sites recently, the third time in just over a week. To say that they might need better security would be a massive understatement.

The group also leaked data from this year's elections in Australia on The Pirate Bay in five parts, though it appears that there is more to come. The first part suggested that it contained only five per cent of the total payload, but subsequent parts have contained substantially more data.

In addition, it released various US and Brazilian government documents, including a Brazilian file that shows its debt. If that was not enough, it released some Spanish Ministry of Defence and NATO documents along with some passport and visa numbers, among other booty.

These leak announcements come from a Twitter account called f1esc. It's not clear if this belongs to Anonymous or is simply a supporter of the Antisec movement.